ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
All P.U.C. Centres asked to link emission test data with VAHAN Database
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has reiterated the necessity of linking all vehicle data with VAHAN database to avoid harassment and inconvenience to citizens. This information should be available to citizens in electronic form also in m-Parivahan and e-Challan platforms for their convenience. In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories, the Ministry has stressed upon adopting this step urgently especially since the operationalization of certain provisions of the Motor Vehicles  Act, 2019 and the revised provisions for penalties for driving vehicle violating air pollution standards etc.
As per the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the Ministry had earlier issued a notification for amendment in the rule 115 0f central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 vide GSR 527  dated 06.06.2018, for linkage of PUC certificate with VAHAN database.
The States and Union Territories have been asked to ensure that all PUC centres upload emission test data electronically to VAHAN database as per guidelines issued in compliance with Supreme Court directions.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Central Assistance to Madhya Pradesh under centrally sponsored scheme of Post Matric Scholarship for OBC students during year 2020-21 released
The Central Government has released an amount of Rupees Thirty Nine Crore Eighty Six Lakh only as Central Assistance to the State Government of Madhya Pradesh under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post–Matric Scholarship for OBC Student during the year 2020-21. Earlier Rupees Twenty crore only was released to State Government of Madhya Pradesh on Ad-hoc basis on 12th June, 2020 and Rupees Nineteen Crore Eighty Six Lakh was also released to Govt. of Madhya Pradesh on 22nd September, 2020. Hence total amount of Rupees Seventy Nine Crore Seventy Two Lakh  is available with the State Government for expenditure in 2020-21.
As per the decision of the Government of India, the scholarship amount due to the selected beneficiaries  shall be disbursed through DBT mode only. Other mode of disbursement such as through cash of cheque shall be unacceptable.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Measures to increase Nursing Manpower
As per the Indian Nursing Council records, there are around 33.41 lakh nursing personnel registered in the country which gives Nurse to Population ratio as 1.96 nurses per 1000 population. Some of the proactive measures taken to increase nursing manpower in the country are as follows: -
- The requirement of land to construct building for School/College of Nursing and Hostel has been relaxed.
- The requirement of a 100 bedded parent hospital has been relaxed for hilly and tribal areas.
- The student teacher ratio for M.Sc. programme has been relaxed from 1:5 to 1:10
- Student patient ratio for Nursing Institutions has been relaxed from 1:5 to 1:3
- Maximum number of 100 seats for Nursing College will be given to those having parent hospitals with 300 beds without insisting Medical College.
- Distance from school to hospital has been relaxed from 15 km to 30 Km. However, for hilly and tribal areas the maximum distance is 50 Km.
- Eligibility criteria to admission i.e.  for Diploma and Degree has been relaxed.
- Relaxation for opening M.Sc.  programme. Super specialty Hospital can start M.Sc.  without having under graduate programme.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Education
In less than 72 hours, more than 2,00,000 students downloaded the National Test Practice App - Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank''
National Test Abyaas app created by National Testing Agency became popular among students preparing for JEE  and NEET
Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' today informed that the National Test Abyaas App launched by the National Testing Agency for students preparing for JEE  and NEET has become very popular among the students and within less than 72 hours of it's launch more than 2,00,000 students have downloaded this app. He also informed that more than 80 thousand students have also given mock tests for JEE  and NEET. He added that students give maximum mock test between 10 am and 12 noon.
Giving detailed information about this app, the Union Minister said that every year a large number of students participate in JEE , NEET and other competitive examinations, out of which a lot of students could not study in private coaching institutes. Keeping in mind their needs, NTA has launched this app which will facilitate them in preparing of the exams.
He further explained that on this app, students will have three hours to complete the question paper, which students can give anytime after downloading. Students will not need internet facility to take this test.
The Union Minister further said that with the launch of this app, India has taken an important step to bring uniformity in the preparation of important examinations. In the time of this unprecedented health emergency, this app will help the students to prepare for the examinations. Through this app, our goal is to create world's largest virtual test system which will provide immediate, real and unbiased results.
Shri Pokhriyal informed that the app is available on the Android platform and will soon be available on the iOS platform. Students can download this app from Google Play store for free. After giving the test available on this app, students can evaluate their preparations immediately and they will be able to understand the answers to all the questions with their explanations. Shri Pokhriyal also extended his best wishes to all the students for the examinations.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage crosses the landmark of 92 Cr
More than 59.48 Lakh doses administered in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 97.94%; Highest since March 2020
18,833 New Cases reported in the last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload  is 0.73% of Total Cases
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 103 days
With the administration of 59,48,360 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed the landmark of 92Cr as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 89,35,354sessions.
The break-up of the cumulative figureas per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
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|
HCWs
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1st Dose
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|
1,03,74,287
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2nd Dose
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|
89,58,559
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|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,83,56,341
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,51,75,327
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Age Group 18-44 years
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1st Dose
|
|
37,28,82,633
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
9,25,66,106
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|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
16,26,25,090
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
7,99,44,079
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Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10,30,08,128
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
5,78,74,855
|
|
Total
|
|
92,17,65,405
The recovery of 24,770patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients  to 3,31,75,656.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 97.94%. Recovery Rate is currently at its highest peak since March 2020.
Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 101 consecutive days now.
18,833 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The Active Caseload is presently 2,46,687, which is the lowest in 203 days.Active cases presently constitute 0.73% of the country's total Positive Cases.
The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of
14,09,825tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 57.68 Cr  cumulative tests.
While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 1.68% remains less than 3% for the last 103 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be1.34%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below3% for last 37 days and below 5% for 120 consecutive days now.
President's Secretariat
President of India to visit Himachal Pradesh on October 29 and 30
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Himachal Pradesh on October 29 and 30, 2018.
On October 29, 2018, the President will grace the first convocation of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Kangra.
On October 30, 2018, the President will grace the 24th convocation of Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla.
Ministry of Finance
State of the Banking Sector in India Needs Urgent Attention: Economic Survey
The Economic Survey 2019-20 observes that there is disproportionate dwarfism of the Indian banks when compared to the size of the Indian economy. The Survey expresses that if Indian banks were proportionately large in relation to the size of the Indian economy, India should have at least six banks in the global top 100 than just the current largest PSB- State Bank of India -which is the 55th largest bank globally.
The survey notes that despite nationalisation a significant portion of the poor remained unbanked till 2014. Financial inclusion, in large part, happened in August 2014 through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY
The Economic Survey notes that the growth in digital transactions has been significant. The use of direct benefit transfers has increased exponentially over the last five years, has helped to bring both credit and deposits into the banking system across all geographies .
The Survey says that PSBs need to embrace FinTech, which is revolutionising the global financial landscape. The Economic Survey observs that a large proportion of NPAs of Indian banks, especially PSBs, could have been prevented if data and analytics were employed in corporate lending. The survey proposes establishment of a GSTN like entity, called PSBN , to use technology to screen and monitor borrowers comprehensively and at length.
Ministry of Science & Technology
India's StartUps setting global benchmarks
Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; Minister of State  Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said India’s StartUps and R&D outcomes are setting global benchmarks and are at par with the world. In addition, under PM Sh Narendra Modi, India's StartUp ecosystem has achieved global ranking of No. # in the world, he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh was addressing the Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Grants Award Ceremony instituted by the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation, in New Delhi.
Cautioning against working in silos, the Minister called for cultivating synergy between all stakeholders such as the academia, Startups, research institutions and industry to reap the benefits of collective efforts.
The Minister said, India needs to take the lead in scientific R&D. The Government has set the goal of TB Free Bharat by 2025. During the Covid pandemic, the Department of Biotechnology made the world’s first DNA based vaccine.
Dr Jitendra Singh remarked that, but for the brief two years of Covid, the wider phenomenon in the last three to five decades is that India has moved from communicable to non-communicable diseases. “The WHO Guidelines of Management of Diabetes during Pregnancy have been formulated by a Group which I belong to,” he added.
Commending the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation for giving recognition to budding scientists, Dr. Jitendra Singh observed that unlike the West, the culture of philanthropy is yet to pick up in India. He also advocated more private participation in R&D to double up Government efforts.
The Minister said, there is no noble deed for distinguished professionals other than giving back to society and being of some utility to the society at large.
On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh gave away the Paramahamsa Grants Awards in Biomedical Sciences and Agricultural Sciences.
Department of Space
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh says, presently FDI in space sector is allowed up to 100% in the area of Satellites-Establishment and Operations through Government route only
Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; Minister of State  Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, presently FDI in space sector is allowed up to 100% in the area of Satellites-Establishment and Operations through Government route only.
In a statement laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre  being the regulatory and promotional body for space activities was involved in revision of FDI policy which is presently under consideration of the Government.
The specific role of IN-SPACe for channelizing FDI will evolve after approval of revised FDI policy by the Government.
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Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
India to become Aatmanirbhar in Phosphatic Fertilisers
Government ready with Action Plan to make India Aatmanirbhar in Rock Phosphate, the key raw material of DAP and NPK Fertlisers: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya
In order to improve the availability of phosphatic fertilisers  and to reduce the dependence on imports by making India truly Aatmnirbhar in fertilisers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers chaired a meeting with officials of Department of Fertilizers and stakeholders of Fertilizers industries.
On the occasion Shri Mandaviya said, “I am glad that Department of Fertilisers is ready with an Action Plan to make India Aatmanirbhar in Rock Phosphate, the key raw material of DAP and NPK Fertlisers. By following the clarion call of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ given by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is surely marching towards achieving Aatmanirabharta in fertilisers in the time to come.”
An Action Plan was chalked out for making India Aatmanirbhar in fertiliser production through indigenous resources. Shri Mandaviya directed to commercially exploit and ramp up the production in the existing 30 lakh MT of Phosphorite deposits which are available in Rajasthan, central part of peninsular India, Hirapur ,Lalitpur , Mussoorie syncline , Cuddapah basin. Discussion and planning with Department of Mining and Geological Survey of India is going on to expedite the exploration in the potential potassic ore resources in Rajasthan’s Satipura, Bharusari & Lakhasar and Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka. All the departments are working jointly to start the mining of potential reserves as soon as possible. The Action Plan included the steps to minimize the import dependency of costly raw material imported from abroad and make it accessible and affordable to farmers.
Rock Phosphate is the key raw material for DAP and NPK fertilisers and India is 90% dependent on imports. Volatility in international prices affects domestic prices of fertilisers and hinders the progress and development of agriculture sector in the country. Therefore, Shri Mandaviya called a meeting with stakeholders to expedite the exploration and mining of available rock phosphate reserves in India.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
BRICS Partnership for Strengthening Agro Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Security
Meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Agriculture held
India has the BRICS Chair for 2021
Joint Declaration of the Eleventh Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Agriculture discussed
The Ministers of Agriculture of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa deliberated virtually on the theme “BRICS Partnership for Strengthening Agro Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Security”.
The implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development noted that BRICS countries are well positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate hunger and poverty. The strong agricultural research base in BRICS countries and the need to harness and share knowledge, facilitate transfer of technologies from lab to land to provide improved solutions for enhanced productivity, especially in the face of climate change, maintaining agro biodiversity and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources was acknowledged.
BRICS  Agriculture Research Platform has been developed by India to promote cooperation in the areas of agricultural research, extension, technology transfer, training and capacity building. The intention to make the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform functional and encourage research cooperation to improve the use and application of agricultural technologies for meeting the needs of producers and processors was also expressed.
The Joint declaration of the eleventh meeting of BRICS and Action Plan for 2021-24 for agricultural cooperation of BRICS countries and BRICS Agriculture Research Platform were discussed in depth. This BRICS Working Group meeting will endorse the Action Plan of 2021-24 for adoption in BRICS meeting.
Shri Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri. Abhilaskha Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Ms. Alaknanda Dayal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare attended the virtual meeting of the BRICS working group held on 12 -13 August 2021 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Climate Change Performance Index
The Climate Change Performance Index 2023 report was released recently and India secured 8th position in the index which is 2 positions up from the last edition. Since no country was strong enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating, thus the top three places i.e 1-3 are vacant. Thereafter India is amongst the top 5 countries. With India , the United Kingdom , and Germany , only three G20 countries are among the high performers in CCPI 2023.Thus India’s rank is the best amongst the G 20 countries.
The rating of India in various components of CCPI is as follows-
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|
Component
|
|
Rating
|
|
GHG Emissions
|
|
High
|
|
Renewable Energy
|
|
Medium
|
|
Energy Use
|
|
High
|
|
Climate Policy
|
|
Medium
The government has recently updated Nationally Determined Contributions  submitted by India to UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement. These include targets to reduce the Emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level; to achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030, with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund ; and create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. Furthermore, India has also submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , during the 27th Conference of Parties .
Government has also launched a flagship programme Perform, Achieve and Trade with an aim to reduce Specific Energy Consumption  i.e. energy use per unit of production for Designated Consumers  in energy intensive sectors. Further, the Ujala scheme launched by the Government has led to the distribution of 36.86 crore LED bulbs resulting in energy saving of 47,876 million kWh of electricity per annum, peak demand reduction of 9,585 MW and 38.77 million tonnes of CO2 emission reduction annually as of 30th June 2022.Additionally, Government has declared the trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation  up to the year 2030 and is promoting Electric Vehicles and creation of charging infrastructure in the country.
Eco-clubs have been formed in schools and colleges to educate students and to spread awareness on environmental issues. Activities undertaken by Eco-clubs include plantation drives, cleanliness drives, green pledges, etc. Resource Centres under EIACP  are also leveraged to spread awareness about environment. The Ministry also organized 3rd International Day of Clean Air for blue skies as ‘Swachh Vayu Diwas ’ to raise awareness and facilitate actions to improve air quality under National Clean Air Programme . Further, a Sensitization cum Review Workshop under National Clean Air Programme  was also organized.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding between India and Singapore on setting up of a joint working group on FinTech
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding  signed between India and Singapore in June, 2018 on the constitution of a Joint Working Group  on FinTech.
Benefits:
The Joint Working Group on FinTech between India and Singapore has been constituted for cooperation in the area of FinTech between the two countries. Collaboration of India with Singapore will benefit both India and Singapore to excel in the fields of Development of Application Programming Interfaces , Regulatory Sandbox, Security in payment and digital cash flow, integration of RuPay-Network for Electronic Transfers , UPI-FAST payment link, AADHAR Stack and e-KYC in ASEAN region and cooperation on regulations, solutions for financial markets and insurance sector and sand box models.
Terms of References of the JWG:
- Exchange of best practices
to improve regulatory connect, with a view to exchange best practices:
i. Promote experience sharing on policies and regulations related to FinTech;
ii. Encourage the creation of standards related to the use of data in a non-discriminatory manner by FinTech firms and entities.
iii. Initiate capacity building of relevant official in regulatory institutions, including in a world of new threats around cyber-security, financial fraud etc.
II. Promote co-operation
to promote co-operation between the financial technology industry in India and Singapore:
- Promote co-operation between firms in the FinTech sector;
- Promote development of FinTech solutions for business/financial sectors;
- Encourage collaboration of entrepreneurship/ startup talent between Singapore and India in FinTech, consistent with the relevant policies of both countries.
III. Develop international standards
 Encourage the creation of an international version of Application Programming Interfaces  and standards that are inter-operable with the APIs created in public systems in India and Singapore to:
i. Enable cross-border authentication and Electronic Know-Your-Customer  of residents using digital identities;
ii. Enable payment linkages-cooperation between Unified Payment Interface  and Fast And Secure Transfer  digital fund transfer platforms;
iii. Enable cross-learning on RuPay Credit/Debit Cards through linkages between National Payments Corporation of India  and Network for Electronic Transfers  payment networks;
iv. Enable DPI and Quick response  code-based payment acceptance; and
v. Enable the use of digital signatures such as through e-Sign, across borders.
 Encourage co-operation between India and Singapore on:
i. Digital governance;
ii. Financial inclusion; and
iii. Partnership in the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network  agenda.